Do not yank the upper case off quickly. The case is attached to the logic board via a ribbon cable.

Lift up at the rear of the case and work your fingers along the sides, freeing the case as you go. Once you have freed the sides, you may need to rock the case up and down to free the front of the upper case.

There are four plastic clips above the DVD slot, and another above and to the left of the IR sensor. These clips can be very difficult to disengage without prying. They can also be difficult to re-engage during reassembly.

Reassembly Tip: Press down firmly on the tip of the top case above the location of each clip until you hear a snap to reseat them in their slots.

Reassembly Tip: The two center DVD clips will rarely snap back into place properly without help, and downward pressure will instead simply deform the frame around the DVD slot. Support the frame by inserting a plastic spudger into the DVD slot directly under the clip location until it is snug, then press down until you hear the snap.

Disconnect the trackpad and keyboard ribbon cable from the logic board, removing tape as necessary.

Note: It is possible to replace the hard drive without disconnecting the keyboard from the chassis, but it will need to be held upright to keep it out of the way, while still allowing you both hands to work on the drive removal. Be careful when removing the keyboard-trackpad ribbon cable to ensure that the rear of the upper case is disengaged from the area near the hinge. It is easy to accidentally bend the screw receivers on either side of the keyboard.

Place the upper casing on its edge and use a spudger to push the keyboard away from the casing, poking the spudger through the central keyboard screw hole. Grasp the keyboard as it separates from the casing.

Maintaining your hold on the keyboard, lay the casing flat and gently bow the keyboard until the two tabs on either side of the keyboard come free.

Slide the keyboard away from the trackpad and out of the upper case.

When installing the new keyboard, remember to slip the keyboard backlight ribbon cable through the slot in the top casing.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Besides using WD 500GB models, are the WD 640GB and WD 750GB (the 9.5mm thickness model) good to go for? I am still considering as I have heard from other websites on the computer does not draw enough power to power up the 640 and 750 as it has the clicking sound and the rainbow keeps appearing. Anyone has install one before yet?

Please advice. Appreciated! Thanks a million to all the Mac gurus out there!

The two screws removed in step 3 should not be mixed with screws in steps 5 through 7. Though similar, they are actually slightly shorter and have a bigger head. If you put the longer screws back in here when reassembling, the button to unlatch the top will not work properly.

The two screws removed in step 3 should not be mixed with screws in steps 5 through 7. Though similar, they are actually slightly shorter and have a bigger head. If you put the longer screws back in here when reassembling, the button to unlatch the top will not work properly.

I think you may have commented on the wrong page. This page only has 3 steps, and the screws are removed in step 2, not 3.

I'm not sure how the user notes get attached to the various procedures here, but my comment does seem to show up properly when viewing the steps for Hard Drive Replacement. However, the number of the step may be off if viewed as part of another procedure.

Quote from Don:

I think you may have commented on the wrong page. This page only has 3 steps, and the screws are removed in step 2, not 3.

Keep these two Philips screws separate. The screws are approximately 0.5mm shorter in length. When using one or two of the other longer screws in the battery compartment when reassembling, the lid will not open because the screw(s) do yam the lid button.

If you are using a muffin pan to keep removed parts separate (a method I recommend highly), note that Steps 5, 6, and 7 involve removing the same size screw—and thus you can put them all in the same pile. This is unlike just about every other part you will remove during this procedure.

I did the same thing once, and eventually got it out. Try tweezers, a screwdriver, magnets, holding the MBP on its side so gravity is working with you, etc. Eventually the little bugger will come out, you just have to keep working at it.

The clips above the DVD slot (below the deck palm rest) are an absolute bear. They're hard to get released, and even harder to get back locked when you reassemble. (I've read to tilt the deck toward you when reassembling, inserting the front edge first, and press about an inch back from the edge to get all the front clips locked first before lowering the rest (back) of the deck.) No success for me yet, best of luck.

Those clips on the front edge are very challenging. I have a set of nylon pry tools that are for taking apart car dashboards without scratching the vinyl or plastic. I was able to get a long one in from the side and twist it which freed the clips without damaging the plastic on the upper case or the aluminum on the lower case.

Putting it back together presented another challenge. When I first re-assembled it I think I pushed too hard over the DVD slot and accidentally bent the metal down. I was able to bend it back up using a thicker part of those same nylon pry tools, and then i was able to get it snapped back down successfully. Had I known this would happen, I would have just put the nylon tool in the slot to reinforce the metal as I was snapping the case back down.

I had a lot of trouble with getting those clips to lock in place again when reassembling. The way I eventually did it was to wedge something into the front of the CD/DVD slot so that I wouldn't warp the laptop casing. I used the end of a pen; when wedged in the tip of the pen was the right height to not support the casing above and below the CD/DVD slot and not allow it to warp.

I simply ensured the pen was aligned with one particular clip, lifted the laptop slightly, and squeezed the top and bottom edge of the laptop casing very firmly at that point. Each clip clicked in quite easily doing it this way. Just remember to move the pen (or whatever you are using) along to whichever clip you are clicking in.

You're on the right track David. But what works really good is something that gets more surface area contact than the pen--I carefully insert a stack of 3" square post-it notes about 3/8" into the slot. And because they're stacked, you can easily add/subtract post-its to get as tight a fit as possible. Then, assuming you have everything lined up, use quite a bit of downward pressure. You should hear a few snaps as the clips reseat.

Quote from David:

I had a lot of trouble with getting those clips to lock in place again when reassembling. The way I eventually did it was to wedge something into the front of the CD/DVD slot so that I wouldn't warp the laptop casing. I used the end of a pen; when wedged in the tip of the pen was the right height to not support the casing above and below the CD/DVD slot and not allow it to warp.

I simply ensured the pen was aligned with one particular clip, lifted the laptop slightly, and squeezed the top and bottom edge of the laptop casing very firmly at that point. Each clip clicked in quite easily doing it this way. Just remember to move the pen (or whatever you are using) along to whichever clip you are clicking in.

I have none of the problems above just was very careful, but inserting the palm rest in first does most of the work , gently does it looking at the alinement of the clips as you go straight in she goes!

I have taken apart quite a few laptops but this is my first Mac. This confirms my statements, to anyone that will listen, that these are the most "exquisite" machines ever produced. I just performed these HDD Replacement steps and with appropriate fear and trepidation popped the clips off. It would have been very helpful if someone had mentioned that they come straight up. I wasn't sure so I wiggled and (carefully) pried with the spudger until one of them went "POP". The credit card idea was helpful but my card was pretty soft so I didn't dare use it with too much force. When I got the top cover loose I just leaned it back against the screen so as not to take a chance on damaging the cable. Reassembly was according to the notes, but again the spudger was perfect if inserted into the drive slot (careful on the felt!) to support the base of the clips. Thanks to all for the notes. BTW; Prayer helps!

On the top of the case mark the center of each of the four clips that are over the CD slot and the one clip to the left of the latch with a pencil. When re-installing the top case apply pressure over the clip to the left of the latch until you hear a snap. For the four clips over the CD slot, upend the entire case. Then insert the flat end of the spudger into the CD slot under the center of each clip. Apply pressure from the top of the case while providing support with the spudger in the CD slot until the clip snaps in. This will minimize the chances of bending the CD slot which would prevent CDs from ejecting.

Take care reassembling new the DVD drive. It's easy to bend the top piece of metal down (the one that engages the clips) and your DVD can get stuck occasional ejecting. Very annoying. Maybe give it a little prophylactic bend upward. I placed a blunt letter opener in the slot and torqued it, while applying downward pressure from the top deck... This allowed the clips to engage nicely without bending this piece down.

i used a pry tool i had left over from replacing the screen on my iphone, any flat stiff item, like a credit card would work. watch the youtube video linked above, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUonF9OSv..., skip ahead in the video to 4:57 where you see her use a pry tool. I had no problem separating and reassembling this section. Only issue i had was the two screws in the battery area. Only one of them would grab, so I left the other one out.

Here is an additional video showing how to remove the cables for both the left and right fans. At time 2:00 in the video he starts to work on the left fan. This video will help prevent you from attempting to detach the cables incorrectly.

I've opened these up many, many times, and by far the easiest method I have found to disengage the front clips is as follows:

Lift up the top case by the rear corners near the hinge, keep lifting so the top case is tilting towards you. You will feel some resistance, but keep lifting and you will hear the clips disengage with a 'snap'. Doing it this way should not bend the top case metal or loosen the spacing between the top case metal and plastic trim. The clips will not break, they will still engage when you put the top case back on.

It basically takes me 5 or 10 seconds to take off the top case now, and the case goes back on nice and tight as before.

I read that you can actually also use the corner of a credit card. I didn't have a spudger and this worked perfectly for me. If you hold the card quite close to the corner and it has just the right amount of flex.

I chose not to disconnect this ribbon cable. I used a chopstick to prop open the front panel; just gently place in lower right corned of case and upper right corner inside the top panel. Saves the risk of disconnecting.

I don't know if the black tape over the back of the top case is necessary when you put it all back together. It seems like it would be, since you wouldn't want the metal of the top case contacting any of the motherboard. Anyone know?

Pay close attention to the amount of cable that is inserted into the connector when you remove this. It will help give you confidence when reassembling that your cable is actually seated well. ALSO, DON'T FORGET TO THREAD THE BACKLIGHT CABLE WHEN REASSEMBLING. It will save you from removing all those screws again.

When installing new keyboard, carefully thread metal tabs through the holes. They bend easily, I used flat metal spudger to slide in each of the tabs.When you screw everything in and all cables are connected, don't forget to bend these tabs so they hold top of the keyboard more securely.

It's time to speak out for your right to repair

Dear Minnesotans,

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Tell them you support the bipartisan Fair Repair Bill, HF 1048. Tell them that you believe repair
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It's time to speak out for your right to repair

Dear New Yorkers,

Right now, New York has a chance to pass the first Fair Repair bill in
the nation. We have a chance to guarantee our right to repair electronics—like
smartphones, computers, and even farm equipment. We have a chance to help
the environment and stand up for local repair jobs—the corner mom-and-pop
repair shops that keep getting squeezed out by manufacturers.